Words by Moishe Broderson (1890-1956), music by David Beigelman (1887-1944). Transcribed by the compilers from a record of Menashe Oppenheim.
Ay, miracles, miracles, miracles, miracles,
miracles from heaven.
Ay, miracles, miracles, miracles,
miracles without end.
So, people are singing, people are dancing, oy-vey!
and people are raising a toast.
Sweet father, the rich man is paying.
A little Hassid calls out:
Once I was traveling on a river,
and then a storm wind came up…
Guess what happened?
Guess what occurred?
A miracle, a miracle, a miracle.
And I didn’t think it over long,
and quickly gestured like this with my hands:
water here, water there,
and I was saved from danger
and came out dry.
A little Litvak calls out:
And I had to travel once
and then the Shabbat came…
Guess what happened?
Guess what occurred?
A miracle, a miracle, a miracle.
And in fact I did think it over
and I made a gesture like this with my hands:
Shabbat here, Shabbat there,
Guess what came of it?
Nothing! I traveled on.
Ay, nisim, nisim, nisim, nisim,
Nisim min hashomayim,
Ay, nisim, nisim, nisim,
Nisim on a shir.
Zingt men, tantst men, oy-veyl
Makht men a lekhayim.
Tate ziser, al khezhbn hagevir.
Rutt zikh opet a khosidl:
lkh bin a mol geforn oyf a taykh,
Un a shturem-vint hot zikh dan gemakht,
Trett vos zhe iz geven?
Trett vos zhe iz geshen?
A nes, a nes, a nes.
Un ikh hob nit lang getrakht,
Un bald mit di hent azoy gemakht:
Vaser ahin, vaser aher,
Un ikh bin mesukn
Bald aroys trukn.
Rutt zikh opet a litvakl:
Un ikh hob a mol badarft tsu torn
Un sabes* hot zikh dan gemakht,
Trett vos zhe iz geven?
Trett vos zhe iz gesen**?
A nes, a nes, a nes.
Un ikh hob take lang getrakht
Un mit di hent azoy gemakht:
Sabes atiin, sabes aher,
Treft vos iz gevorn?
Gornit nit! Kh’bin zhikh vayter geforn
* shabes (Lithuanian pronunciation)
•• geshen
***zikh
אײַ, נסים, נסים, נסים, נסים,
נסים מן השמים,
אײַ, נסים, נסים, נסים, נסים,
נסים אָן אַ שיעור,
זִינגט מען, טאַנצט מען, אוי–װײ!
מאַכט מען אַ לחײם,
טאַטע זיסער, על חשבון הגביר.
רופֿט זיך אָפּעט אַ חסידל:
איך בין אַ מאָל געפֿאָרן אױף אַ טײַך,
און אַ שטורעמװינט האָט זיך דאָן געמאַכט,
טרעפֿט װאָס זשע איז געװען?
טרעפֿט װאָס זשע איז געשען?
אַ נס, אַ נס, א נס.
און איך האָב ניט לאַנג געטראַכט,
און באַלד מִיט די הענט אַזוי געמאַכט,
װאַסער אַהין, װאַסער אַהער,
און איך בין מסוכּן
באַלד אַרױיס טרוקן.
רופֿט זיך אָפּעט אַ ליטװאַקל:
און איך האָב אַ מאָל באָדאָרפֿט צו פֿאָרן
און סאַבעס* האָט זיך דאַן געמאַכט,
טרעפֿט װאָס זשע איז געװען?
טרעפֿט װאָס זשע איז געסען*?
אַ נס, אַ נס, אַ נס.
און איך האָב טאַקע לאַנג געטראַכט
און מיט די הענט אַזױי געמאַכט:
סאַבעס* אַהין, סאַבעס אַהער,
טרעפֿט װאָס איז געװאָרן?
גאָרניט ניט! כ׳בין זשיך* װײַטער געפֿאָרן.
* שבת, געשען, זיך
Song Title: Nisim, Nisim
The Songs of Generations: New Pearls of Yiddish Song anthology comprises songs that were either never printed before or appeared in rare and inaccessible publications — sometimes in different versions and without proper sources. Most of the songs in this book were submitted by readers of Chana and Yosl’s column “Perl fun der yidisher poezye” (Pearls of Yiddish Poetry) in the Yiddish newspaper Der Forverts (The Forward), initiated in October, 1970. Over 25 years, thousands of songs were collected in correspondence and on cassettes from readers throughout the world, and they represent a veritable national Yiddish song archive. Chana Mlotek, in her introduction, writes, “In the course of years the inquiries, contributions and enthusiasm of these readers have kept our own interest unflagging and have reinforced our dedication to this effort. And in recent years our participants have also been augmented by new readers from the former Soviet Russia, who receive our newspaper there or from newly-arrived immigrants in this country and Israel.”
